


My mistake, our pain

by SwedenSweets



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 11:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13546611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwedenSweets/pseuds/SwedenSweets
Summary: It’s been months since Jughead pushed Betty out of his life, and he has focused all of his energy of getting the Serpents on the right track. But now that things has slowed down and his new friends has more or less found their place at Riverdale high and the whole business with Penny Peadbody is dealt with, he is left with too much time on his hands. Too much time to be able to ignore the empty void in his heart that has been eating him up day by day since that day, despite new dangers lurking in the town.-Roughly taking Place after Season 2 episode 11, some AU elements tossed in to make the story better, so bear with me!





	My mistake, our pain

**Author's Note:**

> I just got stuck on this idea after watching episode 11, so I just had to get it down. Hope you enjoy it!

Jughead is walking through the hallways of Riverdale High, his eyes set on the door at the very end that leads out to freedom, away from the daily torment that these halls brings him. Toni and Sweet Pea are walking next to him, Fangs and the rest of the gang had a different class so they must have taken the other exit out of the school. 

His brisk walk falters when the so familiar voice cuts through the crowd “Jug, wait up!”

He can tell both Toni and Sweet Pea notice him tense as they turn around and see Betty walk up to them with a folder in her arms. 

“Hey,” she says with a small smile, of course nodding to both the others as well, her perfect mannerisms never failing. 

“Hi,” Jug answers with a detached voice, the voice he has perfected during these last few months, showing no interest or acknowledge that the girl in front of him is the last thing he thinks of before falling asleep each night. 

“Veronica just came to me with this, she says it might have something to do with the theory about the Black Hood still being out there, and,” she pause for a second, and if Jughead is not wrong, his girl, no that’s wrong, not his girl anymore despite his dreams, looks quite nervous and uncomfortable. He needs this conversation over before he does something too drastic, like asking her in a needy voice what is wrong and what he possibly can do to make it better.

“And?” he push.

“Well, since you and Toni worked on the scipher the last time,” she glance quickly to Toni with a sad look, surely not noticing her slip of perfect appearance just then, “I was wondering if maybe you guys could give me a hand this time, unless of course you have something else to do.” 

“We should probably head out”- “Of course we can help.”The voices of Jughead and Toni comes out at the same time. 

Betty looks between them confused for a second before Toni steps towards her. “We´ll help, Sweet Pea as well, we were only going to the Whyte Wyrm anyways, I´m glad to have an excuse for getting out of there once in a while.”

“Toni, don´t you remember Tall Boy telling us that he needed all of us there tonight?” Jughead asks Toni with a tight look. 

“Oh Jughead, there are like a dussin of other younger Serpents he can use tonight, this is way more exciting than picking up spare parts for his motorcycle, trust me. Sweet Pea, don´t you agree?” Toni asks the third gang member who has been standing silent until now. 

“Yeah, I´m with Toni, this might be interesting,” he says, shocking Betty. She always got the impression that he was more muscles than brains to be honest.

“Oh, don´t give me that look miss Princess, us Serpents are smarter than you think, especially when it comes to playing with fire and the likes,” he says with a suggestive smirk. 

Betty looks at him with an amused smile, which irritates Jughead. Sweet Pea is always flirting, he should be used to it by now. But he knows that the difference is that he has never seen him flirt with Betty before. 

“Okay, if you say so. Of course we´ll help you then Betty, let´s go,” Jug says, playing the ever tiring part of the friendly Seprent ex boyfriend. 

….

They are all sitting in the Blue and Gold´s office, papers spread around them. Jughead on the couch, just next to Betty, so close he can tell she is wearing the same perfume she did when he told her he loved her for the first time. A memory which is distracting to say the least, but he’s unable to rid himself of his drifting thoughts. Toni and Sweet Pea are discussing a specific part of the letter that came with the scipher when they are interrupted by a knock on the door. 

They all look up when Nick St Claire walks in. 

The first thought in Jughead´s mind is that the douche better get out of here so they can continue their research, him next to Betty like nothing had changed between them since they did this the last time. His blood runs cold though with the reaction of said girl next to him. 

“Oh no, I´m so sorry, I totally forgot about the time,” she exclaims and starts packing up her things. 

“It´s okay, I know how focused you can get some times,” he says with a smile, a smile that makes Jughead want to vomit. He can´t understand how this creep can possibly know anything about Betty, and the way he says it in grinds him in the absolute wrong ways. 

“Don´t worry though, I ordered take away so we can eat at my place instead. So come on, you better eat something so you have energy for the big day tomorrow,” he says, once again with that sickening flirtatious smile. 

“Aw Nick, you shouldn´t have,” Betty fawns, putting the last things in her backpack. 

“Thank you guys for helping me, we can continue the day after tomorrow if you are free to help me then as well, I really feel like we are close to getting all of this figured out if we just give it a little more time. If you want to you can of course stay a little bit longer if you want, just lock the door after you are finished, Jughead, you still have the key right?”

A silence grows in the room.

“Jughead?” His name on her lips brings him back to the present.

“Yeah, of course, I still have the key, don´t worry about it,” he says dismissively, earning a concerned look from Betty. 

Toni, like the saving angel she is, helps him out before Betty can think about it too much.

“What´s with the big day tomorrow?”

“Haven´t you heard? Betty is going to hold a speach at the Founder´s Festival, it´s such a great honour, truly,” Nick peaks in, pride in his voice. 

“No, I guess she forgot to mention it,” Jughead replies, angry with himself for letting the hurt show in those few words. 

Nick obviously doesn´t notice though since he keeps going in the exact same enthusiastic manner. “Well, you should all come then, it´s not every day a friend gets invited to speak at such a big gathering. And they promise it will be quite the party afterwards as well, and Betty here has promised me to show me all the fun that Riverdale has to offer while I´m still in town, so I hope you join us so we all can have a fun night to remember,” he says, eyes glued on Betty.

“Yes, well I´m sure she will. Have a great time you two,” Jughead says, just wanting them out of his presence at the moment. 

“Thanks, we will. I hope I´ll see all of you there,” Betty says, that perfectly polite Alice Cooper mask in place once again. 

The second the two leave the room, Nick putting a hand on Betty´s lower back to guide her out, Jughead slams his notebook on the table, not able to hold back his anger and frustration any longer. 

The silence that follows stretches on for a mere second before Toni stands up. “What is wrong with you Jughead? And what is going on between you and Betty?” 

Jughead knows that Toni has grown to accept Betty, even looking up to her if he is being honest, probably because she is the first girl outside of the Serpents that has ever been nice to her, but he doesn´t need this right now. “I´m fine. Betty and I are fine, we´re friends who occasionally help eachother out, you know that,” he replies.

“No Jughead, what I do know is that you were the one who pushed her out of your life, quiet brutally to be honest as well, and since then, you have taken on everything you possibly can in order to stay away from her. Sure, I know you guys still do each other favours, but I also know that every time that has happened, you have been in a foul mood for days. You broke up with her, so you have no right for being angry with her for finding someone else to make her happy. She deserves to be happy and you turned your back on her, so you have no right acting the way you are right now.”

“Penny Peabody threatened her, I did it to protect her.”

“That might be true, but you made that choice for her Jones, just like it is her choice to move on from you. And did you ever think that maybe she would have been safer if she were with you, having the Serpents protect her. I heard about what happened to her and Archie Andrews, if she would have been with us Serpents, she would never have been put in that dangerous situation, we would have been there for her,” Toni says with a bite.  

The words slaps Jughead right across his face. His anger over seeing Betty with that sad excuse of a man that is Nick st Claire as well as Toni´s harsh words is too much right now.

“Get out, both of you,” he says with clenched teeth. 

Toni gives Sweet Pea a quick glance before standing up, grabbing her things and walking out of the room with the other man just behind her. Their young leader may be troubled and make a lot of wrong decisions, but when asked, they do as he says, even though the troublesome thoughts of him getting in to trouble is reflected in Sweet Pea’s eyes as they make their way outside, closing the door behind them. . 

…

Jughead is pulling his hair in frustration, the scipher in front of him has been his one and only focus for the last several hours. He knows he slept sometime for a while, only to wake up to keep working on the solution. The hours pass in a haze as he feels he is so close to finding the right answer, just like Betty thought, but without a breakthrough. 

 

It suddenly hits him. The Black Hood always wanted to relate to Betty, making her cut out the people in her life. Veronica. Himself. But it all went to shit in the end, so maybe he decided to do it differently this time around. He takes up the letter and reads the last line.  _ The saviour will be saved.  _

They all thought it meant that the Black Hood would try to kill yet another one in order to according to him cleanse the city and make amends or be saved for the fatal mistake he did as a child. They never thought about anything else, the obvious answer so terrifying and simple. 

He throws the paper on the floor and gets to his feet faster than he thought would be possible. With a quick glance on the clock on the wall, he rushes out of the room. His heart beating out of his chest in panic. He’s praying he won’t be too late.

…

Veronica is walking through the crowd with a half filled glass in her hand. The town really outdid themselves with this spectacle, much thanks to the generous donation from her daddy no doubt. She pause short in her stride as she watch that idiot Nick st Claire walk around with Betty on his arm. His dazzling smile plastered on and the conversation flowing with the beautiful blonde who seems to enjoy his company. 

 

Veronica persuades to stop from stomping up to them and slapping him across his face.  _ She is just using him as a distraction,  _ she reminds herself, feeling a little bit better that Betty is aware of his player tendencies. It is her choice how she deals with getting over Jughead, and to be honest, it seems like Nick actually makes her laugh quite a lot, so Veronica holds her snide comments back so her friend can find some happiness, even though she doesn’t agree with the boy in question. 

 

A hand on her shoulder cause her to turn around, away from the couple. 

“Hey Archie,” she says with a smile, leaning up to peck him on the cheek.

“Hey Ronnie,” he says and she can tell when his eyes finally spot his best friend behind her. She gives him a second or two before saying anything. “I know what you are thinking, but she made her choice okay, that’s more than Jug did. If she says she needs this and wants a distraction, let her have it.”

“I know, it’s just...I don’t see why it has to be with that jerk. He is literally all over every single beautiful girl at school.”

“And as I am well aware that Betty told you, that is the reason she decided to hang out with him. Nothing serious, no feelings, just having fun until his deal with my parents is worked through.”

“Yes, but it’s been weeks, how long until the deal is all done?”

“Archie, it will be done when it’s done okay? I think we should go and talk to Josie and the Pussycats though before I vomit from their sickenly sweet display over there,” Veronica says and roll her eyes when Nick pulls Betty even closer for a quick kiss.

Archie nods and together they walk away through the crowd towards the stage where they know Josie will be. 

…

The sun is setting quickly, and soon the entire festival area is lit up by a dim lightning from the lights put up between the trees. Josie and the Pussycats are up on stage singing, creating that magical feeling of a summer night with music. 

 

Archie is swaying to the rhythm with Veronica in his arms, just enjoying the night when he is roughly pulled back. He doesn’t have time to register Jughead’s disheveled state and hard breathing before he calls over the music. “Where is Betty?”

He quickly looks around, but can’t seem to find her blonde ponytail anywhere. She is supposed to be close by, her speech is coming up.

“I don’t know, we saw her with Nick a while ago. What’s wrong Jug?” 

“I have to find her, she’s in danger,” is all he says before setting off through the crowd, bumping into people and asking them whether they have seen her or not, everyone just shaking their heads. 

Archie and Veronica follows him to the edge of the crowd where he stops. He drags his hands through his hair in frustration, biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to have something to focus on.

“Hey Jug, what happened?” Veronica asks with a slight hint of panic in her voice, they both know he wouldn’t react this way unless it was something really serious. 

“I think the Black Hood is going after Betty.”

“Were you able to crack the code for the scipher?” 

“No, but the letter said “The saviour will be saved”. What if the Black Hood means that he will save Betty from the rest of Riverdale.” 

“Do you mean that he plans on hurting her? Why would he do that, he only ever saw Betty as something good, I don’t think he would hurt her, despite everything,” Archie says, trying to calm himself and Jughead down at the same time. 

“He’s a serial killer Archie, do you really believe his moral compass is anything but fucked up?”

Kevin comes up to them just that moment, having seen their panicked conversation from far. 

“What’s going on guys?” 

“We have to find Betty, have you seen her or Nick?” Veronica asks. 

Kevin falters at the panic in her voice. “I saw Nick over by the bar just now, but Betty weren’t there,” he says. 

They all immediately start running towards where the bar is, and now Veronica is more than upset about the size of the festival area. It takes a minute or two for them to reach the part where the bar is, and they spot Nick straight away, chugging down a shot just as they arrive.

He doesn’t even notice Jughead come up to him until he have grabbed him and swung him around so he is standing in the middle of the friends. His legs are wobbly as he takes in the sight around him, a crooked smile on his lips. 

“Hello fellas, what do I owe the pleasure,” he slurs.

“Where is Betty?” Jughead demands.

Nick bites his lip, obviously trying to think about something to say. 

“Hmm, Betty, I’m not sure really,” he whispers like it’s a secret. 

Veronica’s blood boils at the so familiar state he is in, “Omg, are you freaking high Nick?” she yells at him.

“Maybe,” he slurs and winks at her. 

“Never mind, when did you last see Betty?” Archie grits out. 

Nick seems to think hard for a moment, eyes squeezed shut and rocking on the balls of his feet. “She left a while ago, said she had to go find someone.”

“Go and find who?” Jughead tries, the panic eating him away from the slow progress.

“I’m not completely sure. You see, I tried to convince her to come with me into the woods, for you know, some fun,” he exaggerates the last word.

“But what?” Veronica asks, patience running out.

“I might have tried a little too hard getting her to come with me. I thought she wanted to though, but she is just so fucking pure, said I could forget about it all and that she had to go and find someone else. I don’t think that will go so well for her though,” Nick says like it’s nothing special. 

Jughead has to hold back from punching him, picturing him trying to make Betty do something like that against her will makes him see red. He doesn’t even realize the last part of Nick’s confession before Veronica silently, but deadly asks. “Why don’t you think it will go well?”

Nick smirks in satisfaction, “well, unless the person she is looking for likes her being knocked out, I’m pretty sure that will be a major turn off for most people.”

Jughead’s fist connects to his face before he can even finish the sentence. “You fucking asshole, you drugged her so you could take advantage of her!” He yells, and this time when his other fist connects to his face, he sends Nick unconscious to the ground. He is about to start slamming into him with his foot, but Archie holds him back. 

“Hey, this isn’t helping Betty, we need to find her before the Black Hood does,” he says.

Jughead tries to relax, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before daring to speak. 

“Yeah, you’re right. But where do we start, we have no idea where she might be.” He says desperately. 

“Nick said she wanted to go and find someone. I think she wanted to go and find you Jug. Where would she have gone to find you at this time?” Veronica asks.

Jug doesn’t bother to air the doubts that he doesn’t think Betty would have wanted to find him, because at least it is something to go on, so instead he quickly thinks about it.

“Pop’s,” is all he says, setting off into a sprint towards his motorcycle. “Kevin, call your dad. Archie, get your truck, I’ll meet you there!” He shouts over his shoulder, glad that he were able to park his bike so close to the festival.

…

Betty’s head is spinning, everything is. She think she is moving, but she is not sure, her legs feels so heavy. Where is she? What happened? The dizziness in her brain makes everything feel so slow, like she can’t process a single thought correctly. 

 

Suddenly the movement stops, and she feels the cold of a chair under her legs when she sags on top of it. Her arms are suddenly pulled back so hard it hurts, causing her to clear some of the fog in her mind. 

 

She was supposed to find Jug she remembers, but that’s all. She groans as strong lights are turned on.

 

“Betty, it’s time to wake up,” a dark voice commands her.

She doesn’t want to, she just wants to fall asleep and forget about all the horrible things that this reminds her of. Jason Blossom murdered. Archie’s dad shot. Moose and Midge injured. Threats on Veronica and Jug. Archie being buried alive. 

 

Suddenly she is drenched with a bucket of something cold, she can tell from the smell that it isn’t water. She splutters, trying to get her nose and mouth free from the substance so she can breathe. Her eyes are shoot straight awake as she takes in the surroundings. She’s at Pop’s, a dread fills her, where is Jug? Quickly she scans around and find the diner empty. She must have forgot in her previous state that Pop’s was supposed to closed, luckily that means Jughead shouldn’t be anywhere near here.

 

“Welcome to the world of the living again, sister.”

Her heart stops. 

Footsteps come around her, and then a blonde man is sitting down in front of her. Chic, her brother.

“Chich, what are you doing?” a terrified whisper. 

“You don’t understand sister, what it’s like growing up the way I did, knowing that I wasn’t good enough for my parents to keep me. Everyone always thought there was something wrong with me, but I know better, as do you dear sister. We may be different to others in this world, we can see the darkness that exists that no one else does, but that just makes us better than them all who live in ignorance of this horrid place. I thought we were supposed to try to help them all, but Betty, I’ve realized that it is a lost cause, things have gone too far for us to do anything. And we don’t deserve to be trapped in a world where everything is wrong and people see us differently.”

“What are you talking about? Who are you, really?”

“I am the Black Hood, the real Black Hood. Not the fraud that you and your friend stopped a few months ago. And it is finally time for us to free ourselves of this prison we are living in, I promise it will be much better. Together we will do great things, but not here, somewhere else. You deserve so much more than being here, feeling like a wild animal living in a cage.”

He takes a bottle of something and pours it around them, over the wooden furniture and floor. That’s when she recognize the smell, gasoline. 

…

Jughead is racing down the streets, reaching Pop’s in record time. He can see the lights inside are on, but he doesn’t want to scare whoever is in there, so he parks his bike a good distance away, despite it taking more time, and run the last way. 

 

When he gets close enough, he can see Betty tied to a chair. A man is in front of her, calmly pacing a few feet closer to the door. Betty’s hair and clothes are soaked, and the look of absolute terror on her face makes him see red. He has to get her out of there, but he doesn’t know how.

 

The man, he recognize his blonde hair and posture as that brother of hers, Chic, pulls something out of his pocket and the moment Betty panics and starts pleading with him, tears slowly falling down her cheek, he just acts. No way is he letting that psycho hurt her. He slams the door open and takes a few steps inside, desperate to get Chic’s attention away from Betty, afraid he might have pulled a gun on her. 

 

Chich instantly turns around with a surprised, but calm look on his face, like nothing can stop him. When Jughead sees the lighter in his hand, he puts the pieces together. Gasoline. He intends to burn her alive. 

 

“Chic, put the lighter down, you don’t have to do this.” Jughead tries to assure him, willing his voice to stay steady. 

A look of recognition pass on Chic’s face, and he actually smiles at him. “I know who you are Jughead, you are one of the reasons to why I have to do this. Did you really think I would let my sister slum it with a trash like you? You are a Serpent. It not only shows in your actions, but in the impurity of your blood as well. Filth by blood, that’s what you are, and my sister deserves something so much better,” he says, completely convinced that this is the right thing to do. 

“Don’t worry, I promise I will stay away from her. She won’t ever see me again,” Jug says, inching his way closer to the man, desperately trying to gain some kind of upper hand..

“That’s not good enough, you are merely a small piece of the puzzle that is Riverdale, and unfortunately, all pieces are wrong. She will go to a better place together with me.”

Jughead risks a glance at Betty who looks so sad and broken. He tries to give her an encouraging nod, but she just shakes her head, telling him not to do anything reckless. 

He actually smirks a little at it, despite the situation.  _ You once told me I was both your lover and fighter,  _ he thinks.

Sirens in the distance cut through the silence and cause enough distraction to allow Jug to throw himself at Chic, knocking him to the ground. Chic’s entire body goes limp. He expects him to put up more of a fight, but he guess the hard hit on his head would be enough to knock anyone out straight away. 

Jughead swallows hard, his adrenaline pumping through his body. He quickly takes the last few steps up to Betty, and when he sees the tears falling down her cheeks, he breaks. “I’m so sorry, I should never have left you. I love you Betty.” He confess and throws himself around her, holding her tight as her body heaves in sobs. 

 

“I guess I will see you in hell then Jughead,” Chic says with a sardonic smile where he sits on the floor before he lights up the lighter in his hand and drops it.  

It all goes in slow motion. Betty yelling at him to get away. The match falling towards the gasoline drenched ground. Chic’s satisfied smile.

With strength he didn’t know he possessed, Jughead lifts the chair and Betty up from the ground and launches himself through the window, bringing Betty with him, away from the fire already wreaking havoc inside the building. The last thing he remembers is hoping that he was able to save her from the spreading flames before the sickening feeling of something warm and sticky flowing down his back is too much to stay conscious. 

…

His entire body aches when he finally comes to it. Images of Betty hurt or even worse, dead, fills his mind causing him to abruptly try to sit up, leaning on his arms since he is laying on his stomach. The pain that rips through his body makes him grunt out in pain. 

“Hey, hey. Take it easy. Lay down or you’ll rip your stitches,” he hears the calming voice of his best friend to his left. Considering his pain, he feels inclined to do as he says, but the absolute terror of losing Betty beats it all.

“Is she okay? Where is she?” He asks with a hoarse throat, turning his head towards Archie.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine, she’s right there,” he replies, pointing to the other side of the hospital room they are in. 

Jug doesn’t waste a moment before turning his head and laying eyes on the beautiful blonde laying on a hospital bed pulled together with his own. He strains his body in order to properly get a look at her. She is in regular clothes, but even when asleep, she looks worried and pale. But alive. Most importantly, alive. 

When he is satisfied that she after all seems okay, he lays down with a groan. 

“What happened?” he asks with a muffled voice through the pillow.

“You saved her Jug. We came there just in time to see you throw yourself out of the window with her. You literally sliced up your entire back by doing it, but you got out. They were able to get Chic out of the fire too, but he died from his injuries shortly after.”

Jughead tense up at the name of the man who almost killed Betty, hard enough to feel the strain on his back.

“Betty filled us in of what happened, and she’s only left your side the few times I’ve managed to persuade her to do so. The doctors says she is fine, but Jug, I’m not so sure about that.”

His voice suddenly distanced. 

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if she has told us everything that went down at Pop’s, what she went through before you came there and everything, but she has barely been more than a ghost since that night. She hasn’t been eating or sleeping well, and the only thing that seemed to work was to let her sleep here.” He says with a sad voice before adding “she hasn’t wanted to leave your side Jug.” 

Jug understand the meaning behind the words and looks at him with a sincere sigh. “I made the mistake of leaving her once, I’m not doing it again Archie, ever. You have my word.”

“What about the Serpents, are you ready to walk away from that?” his voice doubting. 

“She made the choice of wanting to be with me despite everything earlier. With me And the Serpents to be honest, I didn’t let her at the time though, but I won’t make the same mistake again. If she is willing to give me a chance again, I will be with her, always. I love her, and I’m tired of trying not to.”

Archie just looks at him with scrutinizing eyes, trying to find any kind of doubt there, but finding none.

“Hey, you’re up,” a beautiful, but sleepy voice fills the room. 

Jug turns his head around at the shuffling on the other bed. 

“Hey,” he whispers, the warmth in his body spreading from seeing her looking at him like that, like he is all that matters in the world. 

“I’m gonna head out and inform the nurse that you’re finally awake. See you later Jug,” Archie excuse himself.

“Thanks Archie,” Betty smiles when he pass her. 

When the door closes behind him, Jug just smiles up at Betty who is standing with her hands fidgeting with the hem of her jumper a few feet away from his bed. 

“Come here?” he asks tentatively, unsure of where exactly they stand at the moment. 

He wants nothing more than to get up and throw his arms around her. But last he was awake, she had been on a date with Nick st Claire, disastrous as it had ended, it was still a date and the two of them were broken up since long, him hurting her. So when she smiles wide and walks up to his bed, his heart actually flutters with emotion.

Despite the pain, he makes an effort of moving over so she gets enough space to sit down. 

The excitement he feels quickly vanish though when he sees tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

“Hey, how are you?” he asks worriedly. 

Betty bites her lower lip, trying to control her emotions. 

“I’m sorry. I was so worried about you. They didn’t know when you’d wake up,” she sniffles. 

“I’m alright, okay? Guess I’ll have a few new scars to sport, I hear that is popular among the women,” he tries to joke to lighten her mood. It has the opposite effect though as she tense up. 

“I’m sorry, I should probably go and tell Toni you are up,” she breathes and moves to stand up. Jug panics, he can’t watch her leave. He grabs her wrist before she takes even a step.

“Wait, why would you tell Toni? I’m sure my dad will tell the Serpents I’m okay.” he says puzzled. 

Betty suddenly looks confused. “I’m sorry, I just...just since you guys are close I assumed you would want her here.”

“I want you here,” he says bluntly. 

Betty sighs in frustration or sadness, Jughead can’t tell. “Jug, I’m sure you’re tired, you just woke up from serious injuries, and I’m sure you want to know I’m well since you put yourself in harms way to protect me. But I’m sure your girlfriend would be much better company for you now.”

It takes longer than it should for it to dawn on Jughead, probably due to his newly awoken state, but still. “We’re...I’m not...I mean there’s nothing going on between Toni and I.”

“What?” she whispers.

“She’s not my girlfriend. Never has been.”

Betty ashamed all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, I just...You guys seemed so close at school and everything you did together, so I just assumed,” she trails off. 

“Well, I guess the great Betty Cooper assumed wrong then,” he smiles, “what did you expect me to do, I had to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t think about you all the time. You have no idea how hard it was for me to break up with you and then watch you everyday, wanting nothing more than to be together with you.”

“If it was so hard, why did you leave me?” Betty asks, irritation, anger and frustration evident in her voice. 

“I thought I was protecting you.”

Betty picks up at the past phrasing. “You thought?" A small nod in confirmation. "Then what about now?” she whispers.

“I made a mistake. We both have a habit of getting into trouble, some more dangerous than others. But I think together we can protect each other, help each other. That is what I believe now, we are better off together, despite everything that can happen. Together we can get through it all. If you can forgive me that is. I love you, Betty Cooper, I really do. Please let me show you, and I promise that no matter what happens, I will stand by you from now on.” 

The confession causing Betty to look down to where his hand lie on the bed. Her lips turn up in a sad smile. Slowly she takes his hand in her own, squeezing slightly before looking into his brown eyes. The emotions so raw but true.

“I don’t think it is possible for me to not love you,” she says and pause briefly before continuing “I love you Jughead Jones. I never stopped. We will, and can get through this, together.” She leans down and gives him a slow kiss, a kiss promising a future which no matter what else comes around will see them together, working and loving each other through whatever Riverdale can throw at them.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! And if you did, I recommend watching season 2 episode 12!


End file.
